Verdict
Again this week, AEW Dynamite won the rating war, improving to 2-0 in the Wednesday Night Wars where it counts. The viewer totals dropped off for both shows. AEW Dynamite received 1,018,000 million viewers on TNT in week two while WWE NXT on the USA Network drew 790,000 viewers.
When it comes to who I think won the Wednesday Night War in week two, I have to say that I enjoyed the AEW Dynamite product more this week. Yes, WWE NXT did have great moments, such as the NXT Cruiserweight Championship match with Lio Rush becoming the new NXT Cruiserweight champion, Roderick Strong’s victory against Isiah Scott, and the main event featuring Walter versus Kushida. Ultimately, I felt the full card for AEW Dynamite served a higher purpose and was more competitive this week that the WWE NXT lineup. If the purpose of a match is to just further a rivalry storyline, I still like seeing some depth to that match as compared to a short, quick squash match.
Part of what I liked more with AEW Dynamite was the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament first-round match between The Young Bucks and Private Party. The surprise win was great to see because my prediction would have been The Young Bucks getting at least the first-round victory. The idea of Darby Allin facing Chris Jericho in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the AEW World Championship already challenges WWE NXT next Wednesday. I was looking forward to the Shawn Spears versus Jon Moxley match all week because my favorite wrestler in AEW is none other than Moxley.
On WWE NXT, Kushida versus Walter is a match that I think would grab the attention of a casual viewer. It was a David versus Goliath kind of battle that was on the verge of going either way at different times. For AEW Dynamite, Private Party versus The Young Bucks was worth the watch. However, the big bite that everyone will be able to sink their teeth into is the promo of Chris Jericho introducing his stable, The Inner Circle, and the way he deflected the “We The People” chants from Jake Hager.
I’ll be back for week three of the Wednesday Night Wars. What a time to be a pro-wrestling fan!
